Licensing VMware NSX-v in the HTML5 Client (or Not)

With the release of VMware vSphere 6.7, the feature parity between the legacy flex and HTML5 client is getting closer. In addition, with the release of VMware NSX-v 6.4.1 more VMware NSX-v features are also available in the HTML5 client (as seen below).

Note: At one of the keynotes at VMworld 2017 Europe, Ray O’farrell committed to the HTML5 client would have FULL feature parity at the next MAJOR release.

I was rebuilding my homelab after I experienced an unsolvable issue after upgrading VMware NSX-v 6.3.5 to VMware NSX-v 6.4.1 and VMware vSphere 6.5U1 to VMware vSphere 6.7. As I do every time I rebuild my homelab, I tried to start the configuration of VMware NSX-v and forgot add my license first. So, I went along and added my VMware NSX for vSphere license using the following steps in HTML5 client.

Adding the VMware NSX-v License in the HTML5 client

Navigate to the https://vcenter FQDN.

Click Launch vSphere Client (HTML5).

Log in using suitable credentials.

Click Menu > Administration.

Under Licensing, click Licenses.

Click Add New Licenses.

Type or copy your new license key into the window

Click Next.

Enter a preferred name into the License Name field.

Click Finish.

Assigning the VMware NSX-v License in the HTML5 client

I then needed to assign the VMware NSX-v license to the cluster so I could continue the configuration. I continued from where I left off and completed the following steps:

Assigning the VMware NSX-v License using the Flex client

Luckily the flex client is still around and it was a pretty simple job to activate the VMware NSX-v license, steps below:

Navigate to the https://vcenter FQDN.

Click Launch vSphere Web Client (Flex).

Log in using suitable credentials.

Click Administration > Licenses.

Click Assets.

Click Solutions.

Click All Actions > Assign License.

Choose the license you want to apply (for me this is the VMware NSX-v license I specified earlier) and click OK.

And now you’re ready to switch back to the HTML5 client to configure VMware NSX-v.

Final Word (TL;DR)

The vSphere HTML5 Client is #awesome but, especially with VMware NSX-v in mind, don’t get too comfortable with the fluidity of it. Once you have installed VMware NSX-v you will be spending a lot of time in the Flex client because you cannot create Logical Switches and Edges in HTML5 client!